How to Make the Perfect Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Who has not eaten Cinnamon Raisin Toast for breakfast, at least as a child? Here’s a simple, perfect milk bread recipe that can be made as plain white bread, or with the cinnamon and raisins, or just cinnamon if you prefer.

I often made bread like this when I was young. In fact, it’s my earliest baking memory when I did something all by myself. My father loved it.

What is Milk Bread?

Most yeast breads are made with water. Yeast breads made with milk tend to have a softer, tender crumb as compared to a rustic loaf; more like a loaf of store bought bread, but without preservatives. The dough comes together easily is a big soft ball, and it is easily shaped. Milk breads often have eggs incorporated as well. This gets away from the basic water-yeast-flour-salt bread recipes. This bread does not use a sponge starter like Japanese Milk Bread, so it’s quite easy to mix up.

This recipe could be used to make cinnamon buns as well, just bake for a shorter period of time after rolling and slicing, and add icing.

Dough proofed and ready to punch down and roll

The key to yeast breads to is watch the temperatures of everything – warm milk or water, but not so hot as to kill the yeast, about 100-110 F – and a warm place for dough to rise. I tend to use my oven – turn on the heat for maybe a minute, just long enough to warm it up a bit. Or, my brother’s method, set the bowl of covered dough on a heating pad on low. If you have a warming drawer under the oven, that works too. Ideally in this recipe the eggs would be sitting out to come to room temperature, but I seldom remember to do that in advance.

I do use a thermometer to check the temperature of liquids and the bread before I take it out of the oven.

Dough rolled, brushed with butter and ready for the cinnamon-sugar

This dough rolls out easily into a rectangle, about 15 x 8″. Brush with the melted butter, sprinkle with all the cinnamon sugar mix and the raisins, then roll up from the short side, which should be the width of your bread pan.

Tuck the ends under a little, and pinch the long seam close. Place seam down in the buttered/oiled bread pan.

Then the dough sets someplace warm to rise once more.

Let rise until doubled, with a nicely shaped dome of dough

This recipe is for one loaf. I usually make two at a time, just start up 2 bowls and measure ingredients twice. Although I like to use my KitchenAid mixer to knead, this dough is easy enough to stir and knead by hand. I don’t recommend mixing up all together and trying to divide in half. You’ll get better results one loaf at a time.

I keep a can of cooking spray handy when I make bread – it’s perfect for spraying the top of dough when I set it aside to rise. The spray oil keep the dough moist and prevents it from drying and forming a crust.

Once the second rise id done, it’s time to bake. Do let the loaf sit for about an hour to cool after removing from the pan, so the bread won’t crumble and unroll when it’s sliced.

2 hot loaves of Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Perfect Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Homemade Bread with swirls of cinnamon, sugar and raisins. It makes great toast for breakfast, with a tender crumb and the richness of eggs, milk and butter.

Course Bread
Cuisine American
Keyword cinnamon raisin bread, cinnamon raison toast, cinnamon swirl bread, homemade bread, milk bread, yeast bread
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Rising times 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours 15 minutes
Servings 1 loaf

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp warm water
  • 1 packet yeast, or 2 1/2 tsp
  • 1 cup warm milk, 105-110 F
  • 5 tbsp butter, melted
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 4-4.5 cups bread flour or all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 2 tsp butter, melted

Instructions

  1. Mix the yeast and warm water together in a bowl, with a pinch of the sugar. Set aside to proof. It should bubble and rise.

  2. Add in the warm milk, butter, sugar, egg and salt. Mix by hand or with a mixer for 1-2 minutes to incroporate all together.

  3. Add 2 cups of flour gradually, stirring.

  4. Continiue to add in the flour, as needed, until a nice ball of dough forms. Use only as much flour as needed to make a nice soft ball of dough.

  5. Knead 10minutes by hand, or with a mixer until smooth and elastic. Transfer to an oiled bowl, turning so the top is greased. Spray with additional cooking spray if needed.

  6. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about an hour.

  7. Punch down, and roll into a 15 x 8" rectangle, about 1/2" thick. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a small dish. Brush the dough with the melted butter, then use a spoon to sprikle the sugar and cinnamon mix all over the dough. Scatter the raisins evenly all over.

  8. Roll up starting with a short side. Pinch the seam closed and tuck ends under. Place seam side down in a greased loaf pan.

  9. Spray the top with cooking spray and let rise until doubled, 1to 1 1/2 hours, depending on how warm the area is.

  10. Bake at 350F for an hour until lightly browned or until the center reaches 195F.

  11. Brush the top while warm with any remaining butter. Cool at least an hour before slicing.

Remember, homemade gifts, especially gifts from the heart and your kitchen, are wonderful anytime, but especially for the holidays.

Suggested products:

KitchenAid Mixer

Heavy Steel Loaf pans